SobaAddict70

Well, they're closed until 1/3/2005 as of tomorrow, and weekends are better for me.....oh well, have to wait one more month. This will be my inaugural SY experience, the first of hopefully many more visits. Have a reservation the weekend of January 15. Can't wait. Soba

The focus on Nobu is less sushi/sashimi and more of the fusion-y preparations that people experience in the first and middle parts of the omakase. I had my Nobu experience a while back and it was all right. I won't be returning though. (The credit card snafu didn't help either.) Soba

*sigh* Now I have a craving for fried chicken and it's all your fault. Soba

Is Yasuda open on Sunday? Haven't had my birthday dinner yet. Soba

Google to the rescue...again Soba

How to use a pizza stone Of pizza stones and pizza peels Seasoning a pizza stone Soba

Ok, what's peameal bacon and why is it different from regular bacon? Soba

I think that curry pasties already exist...in England. I seem to remember reading somewhere that they could be had in London. I just don't recall where though. Think of it as your typical Cornish pasty, except with curry powder flavoring the mix. Soba

I wonder why they called them pan fried when they were deep fried??? what was it about them that you didn't like the filling or the deep fried part? or the dressing? ← It seemed to me a Japanese version (albeit a fancy hip version) of a classic Chinese-American eggroll minus the pork and shrimp and eggroll wrappers. Soba

What's Texas toast? I don't want to google that, lol. Soba

re grillades: this is a classic Creole brunch dish, usually beef, veal or pork, in a roux-based tomato sauce. Some versions use beef round, some use veal scallops, others use pork chops. Whatever version you do use, it's muy delicioso. I'd add to Marlene's comment about copyrights that if you don't want to rewrite the recipe, you can always link to it as below. Behold the power of Google... Another recipe for grillades and grits, courtesy of Google Soba

For Japanese food, you may want to consider a side-by-side comparison of Jewel Bako and Sushi Yasuda (and perhaps throw in Kurumazushi for kicks). JB and SY/K are like night and day, but all three are stellar in their own way. Although not sushi-oriented, consider also Sugiyama (for its kaiseki approach), Asiate (for the fusion experience) and Minca (for the opposite end of the NYC Japanese dining spectrum, not to mention the ramen is among *the* best in the city). Soba

I'm reminded of William Grimes' infamous article on the Cornish pasty and the resulting outcry. Hell hath no fury like a pasty lover scorned. Soba

It's probably too late for this request tomorrow... ...but there's always later in the week. Grillades and grits maybe? For breakfast? Soba

Well, I had lunch at Roppongi yesterday, in the Upper West Side, here in NYC. Vegetable gyoza Chicken tempura udon two pieces of uni sushi Sushi was sort of ok for a better-than-average Japanese restaurant. A 6 out of 10, for perspective purposes. Ditto for the tempura udon. The menu said "pan-fried vegetable gyoza", and that's what I was expecting. What came out instead was deep fried vegetable gyoza, served on top of a wilted green salad inside a deep fried rice dough shell and served with a carrot-ginger viniagrette, as a dipping sauce. These "gyoza" had a cabbage/shiso filling, not quite expected. It was....different. 7 out of 10 for this one. Soba

Tomato confit is your friend. That'd be good for one dinner, depending on the size of the tomatoes. Soba

Wait till my mom sees eGullet and this thread. lol. Now I have to go ask her about chicken feet. I only remember having it once when I was a kid...and it wasn't a good experience. Soba

Someone, somewhere out there thinks so. We know better of course. Look, my point is that the word "authentic" gets bandied about by a lot of different people. As I said earlier, the word means what it means but the concept takes on new meaning depending on the person and the context. In my view, there isn't a right or wrong answer....you just have to consider the argument from different points of view. Soba

It'd be interesting to hear your take on Per Se or ADNY. I have a feeling those would match your definition of "pristine". Best, Soba

Cafe Boulud (Frank Bruni) Soba

whoops, double post.

I do not think that meaning of "authentic" is what changes, I'm quite certain the abstract concept is not dramatically different in most people's definitions. What can be extremely different is the set of value that defines that meaning. To make a simple example, when Melissa writes the following, I do not agree: For my set of "values" Mario and Lidia are much closer to authentic Italian cuisine than chef Boyardee, but they're not authentic. Almost there, but not quite, for a series of reason which would be too long and off topic to describe here. And yet I perfectly understand why Melissa made the example, although I might not have made it myself, and I find it appropriate. ← Well, let's take fried chicken. There are many, many versions of fried chicken out there and I'll wager most of us would have a not so difficult time differentiating what is "authentic Southern fried chicken" from the inauthentic ones (McDonald's chicken McNuggets for example), but rather be unable to determine the "sole authentic version" from all of the so-called authentic versions out there. With or without breading? Egg or no egg in the breading? Buttermilk or regular milk? Spices? Garlic/onion? And so forth. Or how about "authentic New England baked beans"? With or without salt pork? Removed at the end or served along with the beans? Anything season the salt pork? With or without an onion buried in the pot? What kind of beans go into the dish? Baked for how long? etc. Or how about bolognese sauce? With or without headcheese? Mortadella? Addition of nutmeg? Both butter and olive oil in making the soffrito? How much milk? Beef and pork that's first been cooked and then shredded or hand cut OR do you use ground beef and pork? Tomato paste or crushed tomatoes? etc. etc. People have many different views of what is authentic and what is not. I have no doubt that buried in the morass of opinions, there is probably one authentic version of fried chicken, baked beans or Bolognese sauce. But then....how are you going to know? Soba

But concepts do. Ask anyone what authentic means and you'll get a thousand different responses. The word means what it means...the concept is a different animal altogether. Soba

Cottage cheese and Mrs. Dash for teh win! Sometimes it'll be sour cream and salsa. Soba

"authentic" is whatever you want it to mean. I'm serious. authenticity means different things to different people, from a philosophical term (Heidegger) to genuine chili (some with beans, some without) to Italian-American classics (Chef Boy-ar-dee). how's that for assertive? Soba